Pune Crime Files: Unusual abduction involving a plane, train and boat ride ends in early morning rescue op on faraway Ganga island

The victim in the case is a well-to-do landlord near Hinjewadi who mainly earns his living by renting close to 40 small flats to workers and small business owners, most of whom are migrants. On October 18 this year, his son approached the Pimpri Chinchwad police saying that the man had not been home since the day before. He also informed them about a call demanding a ransom of Rs 1 crore. The caller threatened to kill his father if money was not paid or if the family approached the police.

Tenant turns kidnapper

A joint team of Anti-Extortion Cell and Industrial Grievance Cell of the Pimpri Chinchwad police was formed and a rescue operation was launched. Initial investigation and technical leads revealed the role of a tender coconut seller, Rejaul Karim, who hails from Malda district of West Bengal.

Karim, who had rented a flat from the victim, asked the man to accompany him on a fake pretext before revealing that he was being kidnapped. “We now know Karim took the victim to Kolkata by air on October 17 on the pretext of taking him to his native village and paying respects to the Ganga River. But once they landed in Kolkata, he told the man that he had been kidnapped. Karim took him to Malda by train, then they travelled by car and finally by boat to an island on the Ganga in Rajmahal district of Jharkhand, where other suspects were waiting for them. Probe revealed that Karim’s wife is from that area, so he picked his accomplices from there,” said an officer who is part of the ongoing probe in the case.

Soon, unit commanders from Pimpri Chinchwad police and Rajmahal police got in touch with each other. With the help of a local police unit, the location where the victim was held captive was found, based on technical leads, including cell phone locations. Meanwhile, the kidnapped man’s son was getting calls from Karim, threatening him to keep the money ready and informing that the time and location of the drop would be communicated soon. Police teams kept tab on the calls and guided the abductee’s family, an officer said.

A quick operation under the cover of darkness

In the early hours of October 19, senior officers from Pimpri Chinchwad and Rajmahal district police launched their joint operation. The team travelled on boats, navigating swamps, and at times travelled on foot to reach the location. In a raid conducted on the riverine island around 5 am, the landlord was rescued and two of the suspects were arrested. The abductee was found to be unharmed.

However, the prime suspect Karim and two others – identified as Nasim Manirul Haque, 20, of Malda and Lallu Rustam Shaikh, 45, of Sahibganj in Jharkhand – managed to flee, taking advantage of the dark and difficult terrain. A separate team of the Pimpri Chinchwad police arrested one more suspect, Sajim Karim Bablu Shaikh, 20, a resident of Malda who was living in Thane. Sajim was in contact with the prime suspect and was slated to pick up the ransom amount.

“Our probe suggests that Rejaul Karim is an accused in a case of murder in Malda district from 2013. His trial is currently pending and he has been out on bail. We have reasons to believe that he planned the kidnapping thinking that he could gain the abductee’s trust easily after having taken a flat on rent from him. He also could have thought that the abductee’s family was in a position to pay the huge ransom. Our search for Karim and his other accomplices is currently on. We are working on some concrete leads,” said an officer from Pimpri Chinchwad police’s crime branch.